US OPEN

August 27, 2021

Naomi Osaka

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It was a successful tournament for you last year. How does it feel to be back?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, it feels really nice. I feel like whenever I come here, of course I have memories of winning before.

But I think the biggest memory that comes back to me is being a little kid, running around the entire site. I don't know if that may be the reason why I play so well here, but there's definitely a lot of nostalgia.

Q. I remember you saying you were feeling a little bit self-conscious at times about going out in public. Are you looking forward to playing in front of spectacularly large crowds again?

NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, it will definitely feel a bit different. I don't really know how to describe it, but I kind of had to get over the feeling of people's gazes feeling a bit different to me. At the same time I started to tell myself that it is what it is. Like, I did what I did, so I can't really change people's perception on me.

It might make me feel a little bit nervous. But first rounds always make me feel a little nervous. Maybe I can just attribute it to that. I guess I'll find out when I'm in that situation.

Q. You haven't had a lot of success this past couple months. Just in terms of your confidence level going in, where do you feel your game is at? Do you feel like you're going to be the crowd favorite, especially after yesterday when you went to Queens and did that beautiful thing at the courts?

NAOMI OSAKA: Honestly, I know I haven't played that many matches. I know that I haven't even gotten to a quarterfinal. Actually I feel pretty happy with how I'm playing. Like, I thought I played two really tough matches in Cincinnati. The girl that I lost to, she played really well. I didn't play her before, so I had no information on her.

It's like one of those things where you do have to have a match rhythm. Of course, I played literally no tournaments before that match. I feel pretty confident with where I am right now. Of course I'm not, like, declaring that I'll do amazing here. For me, I'm the one-match-at-a-time like person. Yeah, hopefully it will work out in the end.

Q. What about the crowd? Yesterday was a really nice event, you went back to Queens to your former courts. Do you feel like the crowd is going to help you in this event?

NAOMI OSAKA: You know, for me, I'm just happy there's a crowd in general. I think I wouldn't claim myself to be a crowd favorite. I would just say, you know, also Coco is here. She might be the crowd favorite, too.

But I would say it's nice to see a lot of, like, new players coming up. I was at the event in Queens yesterday. There's a kid that said Medvedev was his favorite player. That kind of took me by surprise. I'm kind of used to people saying Federer is their favorite player, stuff like that.

It's just nice to see this newer generation coming up, people saying they're their favorites, getting used to their play style, as well.

Q. We often hear athletes talk about various different kinds of circumstances that they feel or the court is some sort of a sanctuary for them. Do you see tennis and the rest of your life separated in that way? When you set foot on a court, sort of nothing else matters and your mind is blank except for thinking about playing that next shot, beating that person across the net?

NAOMI OSAKA: It would be nice if there was that line for me, but no. I'm the type of person that everything is sort of the same. So, like, I feel like maybe you could see it earlier on in my career. If there was something that was not right in my personal life, you could kind of see it in my playing.

So it would be really cool if I could, like, draw that line and be able to be like a robot Superman that could go on the court, focus just on tennis. But, no, I'm the type that kind of focuses on everything at one time. That's why, like, everything is sort of muddled to me.

Q. What are your thoughts on the year that Ash has had? What do you think are the keys to how well she's played?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I think that she's had an amazing year. It's really cool to see someone play so consistently. I would say the key, I feel like you would have to ask her because I've never had a year like her.

I would say she seems really determined and really focused. I know that she hasn't gone home since Australia, so that's a lot of traveling for her. I don't think I'm the type of person that could do that. It's really incredible that she's, like, being so -- I don't know, it's so good for the sport, I would say.

Q. We talked about the fans being back, actual humans in the press conference room. In terms of your communication style, does it make a difference in your comfort level seeing actual people talking back to you or is it in here all sort of all the same?

NAOMI OSAKA: No, I would say definitely it feels better to see the person. For me, I'm the type that if I get comfortable enough, I'll start making jokes and stuff. It's really off-putting just to be seated in front of a screen. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I feel, like, a lot of nerves. But it feels much better to be talking to a human.

Q. Could you speak of the nostalgia, the event in Queens? What are the memories that stand out to you?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, it was definitely an incredible feeling. I haven't gone back there since I moved to Florida, so maybe around like eight or so.

I would say the most, like, awesome part about it is that all of the people that I remembered from when I was a kid were still there. They all came out. They were all telling me to, like, call my mom and call my dad because they had so many things they wanted to tell them.

Honestly, it felt like a big family. Everyone there used to take care of me as a kid. Just to see them all being healthy and happy was an incredible feeling.

Q. Please allow me to thank you for all you've done for our sport and beyond. Appreciate. I just wanted to ask if there were one or two things you think you've learned since you made the initiatives before Roland Garros, what would those one or two things be?

NAOMI OSAKA: One or two things? Honestly, I feel like there's a lot of things that I did wrong in that moment, but I'm also the type of person that's very in the moment. Like whatever I feel, I'll say it or do it. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I think there's a lot of things that I learned to do better. Of course, I don't feel the same situation will happen again.

I would say maybe think it through a bit more in the way that, like, I didn't know how big of a deal it would become.

Q. Last year at the US Open you spoke about how you were playing with a greater purpose, you had seven masks, you wanted to make it all the way, and you did. At the moment, what is your purpose? How important for you is it to play with a bigger purpose? What's the biggest driver for you right now?

NAOMI OSAKA: I would say definitely for me, I'm the type of player that plays better if I have a reason or if I have a goal or if I'm driven about something.

I'll tell you a funny story after my career is over about why I do so well in Australia. It has to do with the hallway that we walk in (smiling).

But, yeah, definitely in New York last year the biggest goal for me was just to push that message across. I feel like I did well there. Right now, I don't really have that big of a, like, message to push across at all. So it's going to be really interesting to see, like, what drives me.

Of course, I'm a competitor and I want to win. There's that feeling of wanting to I guess do better than last year.

Q. I know you are very interested in fashion. Do you have any plans to design for kids?

NAOMI OSAKA: Oh, so cute (smiling).

Honestly, I didn't. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say this, but, yeah, I'm designing kids racquets with Yonex. I know it's not clothes right now, but hopefully, you know, that's like the first step.

But now that you say it, my agent is right there, he heard everything that you had to say, so maybe it will come in the future.

(Naomi's answers to questions in Japanese.)

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, for me, I feel like Grand Slams are different than every other tournament. I take it one match at a time. I know that people do these projected draws, but they never really turn out how they're supposed to turn out.

For me, it's an incredible energy. There's going to be a crowd this year. I'm honestly just excited to be here. I really love New York, and hopefully I stay for the full two weeks.

But overall I think even more than just, like, being here for the tournament, I'm just happy to be here in general, so... It's cool.